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Bernese Oberland or Engadine over New Years

Been looking at the Bernese Oberland and Engadine over New Years. Seems Davos is very expensive and Interlaken is not. So, wondering if Interlaken and the BO in general are dead at that time vs. Davos and points south of there.

Would be arriving in Switzerland either Dec 28 or 29th. Found that I would not have to book 7 days in Interlaken or Davos. Just that Davos is 2-3x more expensive than Interlaken. Not sure about Wengen. Will have to check on that. Thought about going to Davos only to be in the region to take the train to Pontresina to take in the Bernina Express route while there. AND to be in the mountains in general.

That surprises me - I'm guessing that won't be the case in Wengen (which is why we try to be out of Switzerland by Dec 21).

My December 2013 Switzerland experience indicated that prices go through the roof and there are minimum stays required from the week of Christmas through the New Year. Sounds like you got lucky finding a place w/o a minimum stay.

Davos wouldn't be my choice personally - lots of villages closer to the Engadine, but could be problematic around the holidays.

Interlaken is not snow reliable and not considered a ski resort or "in the mountains", thus prices are normal over Christmas/New Year's Eve. Davos is VERY snow reliable (more so than Grindelwald e.g.) and very popular over this time. I think prices in Wengen and other ski resorts in the BO are similar to Davos. I agree that Davos doesn't have the typical charm of Swiss towns/villages, but as a base for excursions it is a good choice. And there are picturesque villages/hamlets right in the surroundings: Sertig, Monstein e.g.

It's a much more time intensive trip to the Engadine from Zurich which is where we would fly into. Thought of first going to Davos and then down to Positano for a few days, mainly because Iwould like to do the train ride. (And of course we could then do other winter activities.)
On the other hand, thought about staying in Interlaken because you can get easily to Wengen and other mountain resorts, and now I see we also won't have to pay those high prices.
Any thoughts about this? Again, will Interlaken be "dead"?

Davos is a nice swank resort in low mountains but you will not have the awesome views from your hotel balcony as you would in one of the Alpine towns just south of Interlaken - like Girndelwald, Wengen or Lauterbrunnen where from practically any hotel balcony you are about eyeball to eyeball with soaring glacier-girdled peaks.

Accommodations in Interlaken are much cheaper than most places in Switzerland and Grindelwald has some good deals as well.

Staying in Interlaken would mean being at a much lower altitude and better, warmer weather and you could take sweet day trips to Lucerne or Bern, etc.

I'd take the Jungfrau Region in a heart beat over the Davos area and trains in this area are nearly as awesome as the Albula Pass line and Bernina Pass rail route - in fact you have much more varied forms of transport - aerial cable ways going everywhere, toylike trains too.

> Staying in Interlaken would mean being at a much lower altitude and better, warmer weather

That's the problem in my opinion. We're talking about December/January here, and I personally would prefer colder and snow to rain and grey. The variety of transportation in the Davos area is similar to the Jungfrau region, btw. cog-train, funicular, gondola, cable cars, chair lifts, Rhaetian Railway, buses.

I understand that it would be warmer in Interlaken vs. Engadine, but would there NOT be snow in the mountains, Wengen, for example? Would the BO just be rainy?

Possible that I may instead go in mid or late January. We have been to the BO before, but 12 years ago. Always wanted to go to the Alps in the winter. Just the exorbitant prices in mountain towns during the height of ski season may be too much for us. I think the prices for hotels are not at their height in Jan.

Oh the Jungfrau Region is a premier winter sports area I believe - the Murren area certainly is likely to have snow but there have been warm winters recently too - the Engadine may be warmer all told since it is on the other side of the Alps and gets some Italian effect.

<<would there NOT be snow in the mountains, Wengen, for example? Would the BO just be rainy?>>

The BO felt downright balmy after spending time in the Engadine this past December - there was snow on the ground in the mountains sure, and some of the ski areas were open, but no snow in Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken while we were there (we left Dec 21).

January is smack-dab in the middle of the high ski season, so prices will be high. The ski season will run from the end of Dec/beginning of January until April.

In addition, there is a major ski race in Wengen in mid-January, and it will be very crowded with skiers, managers, coaches, photographers, journalists, and fans. I'm sure hotel prices will skyrocket for that. At the same time, Grindelwald hosts a very interesting international ice-sculpting competition -- one year I enjoyed watching the various teams from around the world bring art out of blocks of ice over a few days. So, I think January is going to be very expensive.

Furthermore, most schools in Germany (maybe also in Switzerland) take their winter break in February, and most families head for the mountains. It's so bad here in Garmisch that some Februaries I just don't ski, or ski very little, because the crowding can be so uncomfortable. If it's similar in Switzerland (and I'm betting it is), February will also be pricey.

So, if you want to avoid high prices, you may be looking at November or March . . .

Really, I think the beauty and the energy of the mountains in winter is truly worth it. I would go in late January if it were me.

You're right, Melnq8 - the Engadine (especially Upper) has a MUCH colder climate than the BO ski resorts. It's quite the opposite to Pal's guess. Mürren most likely will have snow on the ground, Wengen and Grindelwald maybe, Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken probably not.

I second what swandav said about the ski race in Wengen - these days mid January have peak season prices. But the days just after the weekend after New Year's Eve and until the ski race are really low season - half empty pistes and hotels. It's a bit different in the Engadine because of the Russians (who celebrate later). Peak season starts again in last week of January, when school vacations for skiing start in several Swiss cantons.

Hmm.... I might be there at the end of January instead. Sounds like that would be high season in the mountains (BO probably). Might be going to a conference in Bern; then I would head to the mountains.
BTW - How would Bern be at that time? (I'm from NYC so I am used to winter weather.)

My timing seems to be off as far as trying to be in Switzerland in the mid season vs. the high season.

If you're at a conference in Bern anyway, then I'd decide right there, depending on weather/snow situation. End of January is not peak season yet (although already quite busy) so you'll still find enough hotels available.

Weather in Bern in January can be cold, grey, even windy ("Bise" - a strong wind from East/Northeast), with or without snow on the ground. Or it's mild, sunny and spring-like. Anything is possible.

Ingo - I'd be going to the conference only because that would get me to a vacation in the mountains! (Meaning - I'd have my excuse for going in the first place.) I wouldn't go to Switzerland just for the conference.

"January is smack-dab in the middle of the high ski season, so prices will be high."

There are some striking exceptions. In late January, after the kids are back in school and before the other holidays start up, hotels may offer special deals if you stay during the week (M-F). For example, at the 5-star Kronenhof in Pontresina, there is a special week-long deal for about 1500 francs a night for a couple (not per person). It's still relatively pricey at about 300 francs a night, but for that you get to stay in one of Europe's finest hotels with a gorgeous on-site spa, and the rate includes breakfast and dinner. We're planning to do this in late Jan 2015 as a cross-country skiing holiday.

The package isn't heavily promoted and it's not on their website yet for winter 2014/2015.

1500 francs total for the stay (for a couple, I don't know what the single price is). You have to stay a minimum of four, maybe five, nights, I forget which and I just tossed the info card into our recycling on Friday, sorry.

I found out about in January 2014 when I went into the Kronenhof and had a chat with their front desk people about their packages. Dinner at the hotel is included but they also have a "dine around" option where you can go eat at their sister hotel, the Kulm, in St. Moritz.

Obviously, this offer is not available for the peak winter weeks -- it's only for the quieter January weekday periods after the Christmas/New Year holiday and before the next batch of school holidays starts up in Feb.

"Thank you very much for your kind inquiry. What we offer in specific days in January is our Winterspecial Offer. The definite dates in which this will be offered are going to be defined by the end of the summer. It is correct that the price includes halfboard, but it is meant to be CHF 500.00 per person and two nights in a double room standard."

So I guess you got a great deal, which I'm not sure we would get.

Anyway, I realize since we have just 4 or 5 days to spend in the mountains that Pontresina/Engadine might not be the best choice because of travel time.

That price is a lot higher than we were shown! It might have been that they discreetly lowered the price as it got closer to the time period the special was in effect and they found they had a lot of unoccupied rooms.